What organization oversees internet domain names?

What organization oversees internet domain names? ICANN does. The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers coordinates the global Domain Name System (DNS), which translates human-friendly names such as triviawell.com into numerical IP addresses.

Founded in 1998 as a nonprofit, multistakeholder organization, ICANN develops policies for domain-name registries and registrars, coordinates the DNS root zone, and helps manage the allocation of IP address blocks. Its role is coordination and policy, not policing every website or controlling Internet content.

A common mix-up is confusing ICANN with IANA. IANA performs technical Internet-number and DNS-root functions as an ICANN affiliate, while ICANN is the broader coordinating organization. The W3C creates Web standards, the IETF develops Internet protocols, and ISOC supports the Internet community; none oversees the global domain-name system in ICANN’s role.